System and method for providing a personal broadcasting service using a mobile communication terminal

ABSTRACT

A system and method for providing a personal broadcasting service using a mobile communication terminal with a multimedia broadcasting module are provided. A broadcasting service provider provides multimedia broadcasting content. A multimedia broadcasting terminal sends a channel selection signal to the broadcasting service provider, receives multimedia broadcasting content of a selected channel, and opens personal broadcasting. A normal terminal sends a multimedia broadcasting content request to the multimedia broadcasting terminal opening the personal broadcasting, and receives the multimedia broadcasting content from the multimedia broadcasting terminal opening the personal broadcasting.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to a KoreanPatent Application Serial No. 2005-15994 filed in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office on Feb. 25, 2005, the entire contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a system and method forproviding a personal broadcasting service in a mobile communicationterminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a systemand method for providing various contents between mobile communicationterminals through various network connections.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, mobile data communication services have been widely usedthrough mobile communication terminals such as a Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), Web pad, notebook computer, smart phone, WirelessApplication Protocol (WAP) phone, Palm Personal Computer (PPC), e-bookterminal, Hand Held Terminal (HHT), and so on. The technology formounting a dedicated multimedia processor, the technology for enhancinga multimedia function and loading a Television (TV) function, or thetechnology for mounting a digital broadcasting receiver are applied tothe mobile communication terminals.

The mobile data communication services are wireless Internet services,mobile computing services, wireless data communication services, localarea communication services, satellite communication services, and soon. For the mobile data communication services, there are providedvarious mobile solutions (for a mobile device Operating System (OS), OSapplication, development tool, mobile browser, motion picture solution,voice-based speaker verification solution, location-based solution, andso on), mobile content, mobile portals, download services (forcharacters, music, initial screens, and so on), chatting, livinginformation provision (for news, stock prices, entertainments, weather,and so on), guide services, location information services, Java games,mobile betting, M-commerce (such as banking, stock transaction,reservation, mobile shopping, mobile advertisement, billing, replacementpayment, business consulting, authentication and security, and so on),and so on. For the mobile data communication services, there areprovided various communication environments of networks (of opticaltransmission equipment, a relay, a mobile network application, aWireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Home Radio Frequency (HomeRF),Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Bluetooth, a mobileModulator-Demodulator (MODEM), etc.), and peripheral devices (of amobile keyboard, printer, digital camera, Moving Picture Experts Group(MPEG) Layer 3 (MP3) player, portable input/output device, externalconnection device, and so on).

The technical field of a wireless broadcasting service for providingvarious contents to a personal information terminal is in the spotlightdue to business variety, marketing, technology development, and so on.The wireless broadcasting service is currently being provided by ContentProviders (CPs) and mobile communication carriers.

However, there is a problem in that the wireless broadcasting servicecurrently being provided cannot meet the demand of service users becauseit does not escape the existing broadcasting concept of only downloadingfixed content to personal information terminals of many unspecifiedpersons in the form of text. Moreover, there is another problem in thatquality of content for the current wireless broadcasting service isdegraded because the bandwidth is not sufficient when content is createdand provided between mobile communication terminals linked with theconventional networks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been designed to address theabove and other problems occurring in the prior art. Therefore, it is anobject of the present invention to provide a system and method forunidirectionally or bidirectionally transmitting and receivinginformation between mobile communication terminals linked with anInternet network, a mobile communication network, a wireless Internetnetwork, a local area network (LAN), and so on.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system andmethod for obtaining and transmitting personal broadcasting data.

The above and other exemplary objects of the present invention may beachieved by a system for providing a personal broadcasting service usinga mobile communication terminal with a multimedia broadcasting module,comprising a broadcasting service provider for providing multimediabroadcasting content, a multimedia broadcasting terminal for sending achannel selection signal to the broadcasting service provider, receivingmultimedia broadcasting content of a selected channel, and openingpersonal broadcasting, and a normal terminal for sending a multimediabroadcasting content request to the multimedia broadcasting terminalopening the personal broadcasting, and receiving the multimediabroadcasting content from the multimedia broadcasting terminal openingthe personal broadcasting.

The above and other exemplary objects of the present invention may alsobe achieved by a method for providing a personal broadcasting service ina mobile communication terminal with a multimedia broadcasting module,comprising the steps of generating a channel selection signal inresponse to a user's selection and receiving a multimedia broadcastingsignal of a selected channel, demodulating the received multimediabroadcasting signal and converting the demodulated multimediabroadcasting signal to multimedia broadcasting packet data,demultiplexing the multimedia broadcasting packet data and seriallyconfiguring the demultiplexed multimedia broadcasting packet data,extracting packet data necessary for reproducing multimedia broadcastingfrom the serially configured multimedia broadcasting packet data, andserially reconfiguring the extracted packet data and sending theserially reconfigured packet data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other exemplary objects and advantages of the presentinvention will be more clearly understood from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like parts,components and structures, where:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a mobilecommunication terminal with a digital broadcasting receiver inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a decoder inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a structure for retransmittingdigital broadcasting data in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of Transport Stream (TS) packetsrearranged through a packet header processor in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a format of a frame in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a structure of a system for providing a personalbroadcasting service in a state in which a personal broadcasting serverand a mobile communication terminal are separated from each other inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a structure of a system for providing a personalbroadcasting service in a state in which a personal broadcasting serverand a mobile communication terminal are combined with each other inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a system flow diagram for a personal broadcastingservice in a state in which a personal broadcasting server and a mobilecommunication terminal are separated from each other in accordance witha first exemplary implementation of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a system flow diagram for a personal broadcastingservice in a state in which a personal broadcasting server and a mobilecommunication terminal are separated from each other in accordance witha second exemplary implementation of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a system flow diagram for a personal broadcastingservice using a Local Area Network (LAN) and a mobile communicationnetwork in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIGS. 11A and 11B are exemplary structures of a system with a pushserver used in FIG. 6 in accordance with exemplary implementations of anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, detailed description of parts which wouldbe readily understood by skilled artisans has been omitted for clarityand conciseness.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a mobilecommunication terminal with a digital broadcasting receiver inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, the mobile communication terminal is providedwith a Radio Frequency (RF) tuner 110, a demodulator 120 and a decoder130 for digital broadcasting receiver. In an exemplary implementation,the decoder 130 may be embedded in a controller 100. In an exemplaryimplementation, decoder performance in the digital broadcasting receivercan be implemented in software. Referring to FIG. 1, a key input unit170 is provided with keys for inputting numeric and text information andfunction keys for setting various functions. The function keys include akey for selecting a channel for receiving digital broadcasting, and akey for selecting a control function in broadcasting reception mode inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The controller 100 controls the overall operation of the mobilecommunication terminal. The controller 100 generates control data forselecting a channel, control data for controlling the demodulator anddecoder, and control data for setting decoding performance of thedecoder.

A memory 180 can be configured by a program memory and a data memory.The program memory stores programs for receiving broadcasting in thedigital broadcasting receiver and stores programs in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The data memory can be used as avideo memory for storing video data received by the digital broadcastingreceiver under control of the controller 100. When the controller 100serving as the controller of the mobile communication terminal isprovided with another memory for program execution, the memory 180 maybe the video memory.

Under the control of the controller 100, a display unit 150 displays thedigital broadcasting receiver's video signal processed in the decoder130. Under the control of the controller 100, a speaker 160 performs afunction for reproducing an audio signal processed in the decoder 130.

The RF tuner 110 selects a digital broadcasting channel on the basis ofchannel control data, down converts broadcasting signal frequency of theselected channel, and generates an Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal.

The demodulator 120 performs a function for demodulating a modulateddigital broadcasting signal into an original signal.

The decoder 130 separates the broadcasting signal demodulated by thedemodulator 120 into video and audio signals, decodes the video andaudio signals, and outputs the decoded video and audio signals.

A network connector 135 is connected to a device such as a computerusing a cable, such that data can be transmitted and received. Thenetwork connector 135 is connected to, for example, a wired LAN, suchthat network communication can be performed.

In FIG. 1, the received digital broadcasting signal of the mobilecommunication terminal can be a Very-High-Frequency (VHF) band signal(174 MHz-230 MHz: C5-C12), an Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF) band signal(470 MHz-862 MHz: C21-C69), and/or an L-band signal (1452 MHz-1492 MHz).When a user selects a broadcasting channel, the controller 100 outputscontrol data for the channel selected by the RF tuner 110. The RF tuner110 generates and mixes an RF signal based on the channel data, and thengenerates an IF signal of the selected channel. Here, the IF can be36.17 MHz.

The analog IF signal is applied to the demodulator 120. Then, thedemodulator 120 converts the received analog signal to a digital signalaccording to analog-to-digital conversion, demodulates the digitalsignal in a set demodulation scheme, and outputs the demodulated signal.In an exemplary implementation, a modulation scheme for the digitalbroadcasting receiver can use Coded Orthogonal Frequency DivisionMultiplexing (COFDM). In an embodiment of the present invention, thedemodulator 120 can use MT352 manufactured and sold by Zarlink. In thiscase, a signal demodulated by the demodulator 120 is output as 8-bitMoving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-2 Transport Stream (TS) data. Thatis, the demodulator 120 converts a signal of the selected channel outputfrom the RF tuner 110 to digital data. The digital data is controlledaccording to the number of carriers and additional symbols, and islooped in a circular Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) circuit. The order andinterval of an FFT signal are reconfigured such that a final signal isreproduced through error correction. As the final output, an MPEG-2 TSis output.

The MPEG-2 TS data output from the demodulator 120 is applied to thedecoder 130. The decoder 130 separates the received MPEG-2 TS data intovideo, audio, and data, decodes the video, audio, and data, and outputsa result of decoding. In an exemplary implementation, the video data canbe an RGB or YUV signal, and the audio data is conventionally output inthe form of Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) stereo sound. The video dataoutput from the decoder 130 is output and displayed on the display unit150. The audio data is applied to the speaker 160, such that it isreproduced. The controller 100 removes the remaining data except thedecoded video and audio data from MPEG-2 TS data output from thedemodulator 120. The controller 100 controls the memory 180 to store thedecoded video and audio data.

The controller 100 controls the overall operation of the digitalbroadcasting receiver. The controller 100 outputs, to the RF tuner 110,channel control data for setting a frequency band of a channel selectedby the user, and outputs control data of carrier mode (for example, 2 k,8 k, or the like.). In relation to the demodulator 120, a code rate, aguard interval, and so on, associated with information different betweenbroadcasting standards of countries are designated and a setup operationis performed such that a demodulation operation is performed normally.In relation to the decoder 130, an initialization task is performed todesignate a service to be actually received in a designated physicalchannel, and designate a frame rate, a display size, and so on. Play,stop, record, and screen capture commands are executed, and feedbackinformation is received according to a decoding process.

To perform the decoding process, the decoder 130 comprises a decodingmemory capable of being used as an input/output buffer for a digitalbroadcasting signal, a setup information storage space, and a temporarybuffer at the time of decoding. In an exemplary implementation, thedecoding memory can be commonly used between the controller 100 and thedecoder 130. The decoding memory can be used as an input/output bufferfor video and audio signals and also can store a table of informationcurrently being decoded. Data capable of being stored in the table ismany pieces of information including a Group Of Pictures (GOP) sequenceof IBBPBBP . . . , used as a determination criterion in the decodingprocess, among header information of each frame. The decoding memory canuse the memory 180. When the memory 180 is used for only the videomemory, the decoding memory can be implemented with an independentmemory.

An exemplary implementation of the decoder 130 in the digitalbroadcasting receiver with the above-described exemplary structure willbe described in more detail.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of the decoder 130in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 2, a demultiplexer 210 receives demodulated MPEG-2 TS data outputfrom the demodulator 120 and performs a function for separating thereceived MPEG-2 TS data into audio, video, and other data. In anexemplary implementation, the other data can be data except the videoand audio data included in the digital broadcasting signal, and may beprogram data. In the following description, the broadcasting signal isdefined as video and audio signals. The controller 100 reportsinformation of broadcasting to be selected by the demultiplexer 210,that is, a service Product or Packet Identifier (PID). The demultiplexer210 selects target data from various data output from the demodulator120 according to the selected PID, and performs a function forseparating the selected target data into video data and audio data.

An input buffer 220 serves as a generic queue corresponding to acircular buffer with a structure similar to a First In First Out (FIFO)structure. The input buffer 220 performs a function for storing data,multiplexed in real time, corresponding to an amount of data capable ofbeing processed in a video decoder 230 and an audio decoder 250 afterthe input buffer 220. Here, the input buffer 220 can be configured by asingle structure for storing both video and audio data. Alternatively,the input buffer 220 can be configured by a structure in which videodata and audio data are stored such that they are distinguished fromeach other.

The video decoder 230 is responsible for decoding the video data. In thedigital broadcasting receiver, the video decoder 230 conventionallyreceives an MPEG-2 video Elementary Stream (ES) from broadcasting andperforms conversion to YUV 4:2:0 data. In accordance with an embodimentof the present invention, conversion to RGB data is performed for anoutput suitable for the display unit (Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)). Inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a video signalis selectively decoded according to a size of the display unit of themobile communication terminal. The RGB data of the above-describedconversion is stored in a video output buffer 240 and is output at thetime of output.

The audio decoder 250 is responsible for decoding an audio signal. As inthe video decoding process, the audio decoder 250 receives an MPEG-2audio ES and performs conversion to a PCM audio signal. The PCM audiosignal of the conversion is stored in an audio output buffer 260 and isoutput at the time of output. The controller 100 controls the memory 180to store video/audio data to be output. Data to be stored is combinedthrough a multiplexer and the combined data can be stored in the form ofa file. When an amount of the stored data is large, the data can becompressed and stored. A compression scheme can use MPEG-4, H.26L,H.264, and such, in case of video, and can use Advanced Audio Coding(AAC), MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3), MPEG Audio Layer 4 (MP4), and such, incase of audio. As described above, the combined data can be storedthrough the multiplexer.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a structure for retransmittingdigital broadcasting data in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. The structure and operation for retransmittingrealtime digital broadcasting data in the digital broadcasting receiverwith the exemplary structure as illustrated in FIG. 1 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3, a demultiplexer 210 is provided with a sync searcher, apacket header processor, and a packet data processor. When thedemultiplexer 210 receives demodulated MPEG-2 TS data, the controller100 reports information of broadcasting to be selected by thedemultiplexer 210, that is, a service PID. The demultiplexer 210 selectstarget data from various data output from the demodulator 120 accordingto the selected PID, and performs a function for separating the selectedtarget data into video data and audio data and extracting the video andaudio data.

An input buffer 220 serves as a generic queue corresponding to acircular buffer with a structure similar to a FIFO structure. The inputbuffer 220 performs a function for serially arranging and storing datademultiplexed in real time such that the data can be transmitted througha wireless transmission device. In an exemplary implementation, theinput buffer 220 can be configured by a single structure for storingboth video data and audio data. Alternatively, the input buffer 220 canbe configured by a structure in which video data and audio data arestored such that they are distinguished from each other.

An RF module 115 (see FIG. 1) performs communication for a mobilecommunication terminal and transmits and receives data. The RF module115 is provided with an RF transmitter for up converting and amplifyinga frequency of a signal to be transmitted and an RF receiver for lownoise amplifying a received signal and down converting its frequency.

A Modulator-Demodulator (MODEM) 125 (see FIG. 1) is provided with atransmitter for encoding and modulating the signal to be transmitted anda receiver for demodulating and decoding the received signal.

A local area communication module 140 (see FIG. 1) can be a module forBluetooth, Infrared Data Association (IrDA), or Ultra Wide Band (UWB).In an exemplary implementation, the local area communication module 140may be the Bluetooth module. The Bluetooth module can transmit data at ahigh frequency of 2.4 GHz regardless of an obstacle and use a maximum of79 channels in a data transmission scheme. Consumption power isapproximately 0.3 mA in the idle state and is approximately 30 mA at thetime of exchanging data.

Exemplary operation in which the digital broadcasting receiverretransmits digital broadcasting data in real time will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. When the mobile communication terminalreceives a digital broadcasting signal and the user selects abroadcasting channel, the controller 100 outputs control data associatedwith the channel selected by the RF tuner 110. The RF tuner 110generates and mixes an RF signal based on the channel data, and thengenerates an IF signal of the selected channel. The analog IF signal isapplied to the demodulator 120. Then, the demodulator 120 converts thereceived analog signal to a digital signal according toanalog-to-digital conversion, demodulates the digital signal in a setdemodulation scheme, and outputs MPEG-2 TS data. The MPEG-2 TS dataoutput from the demodulator 120 is applied to the demultiplexer 210.When the demultiplexer 210 receives demodulated MPEG-2 TS data, thecontroller 100 reports information of broadcasting to be selected by thedemultiplexer 210, that is, a service PID. When the data passes throughthe sync searcher during the demultiplexing process, a serial structureof packet data as illustrated in FIG. 4(A) is produced. Then, the packetheader processor and the packet data processor compare PIDs ofvideo/audio packet data to be extracted and perform a function forextracting target video/audio packet data. Through the input buffer 220,the extracted video/audio packet data as illustrated in FIG. 4(B) isserially rearranged to data as illustrated in FIG. 4(C) such that it canbe transmitted through a wireless transmission device. Then, packet datacapable of being reproduced is output to the RF module 115 through theMODEM 125, such that digital broadcasting data can be retransmitted. Inresponse to the user's selection, digital broadcasting data can beretransmitted through the local area communication module 140.

The controller 100 controls the overall operation of the digitalbroadcasting receiver. For this, the controller 100 outputs, to the RFtuner 110, channel control data for setting a frequency band of achannel selected by the user, and outputs control data of carrier mode(for example, 2 k, 8 k, etc.). In relation to the demultiplexer 210, aninitialization task is performed to designate a service to be actuallyreceived in a designated physical channel, and designate a frame rate, adisplay size, and so on. Also, play, stop, record, and screen capturecommands are executed, and feedback information is received. Thecontroller 100 controls the MODEM 125 and the RF module 115 toretransmit digital broadcasting data or controls the local areacommunication module 140 to retransmit digital broadcasting data.

A stored personal broadcasting file can be transmitted. In this case, apersonal broadcasting file stored in the mobile communication terminalis transmitted to a personal broadcasting server. The personalbroadcasting server multiplexes the received file according to Real TimeProtocol/Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTP/RTSP) or Session InitiationProtocol (SIP) suitable for a broadcasting service, sets a transmissionscheme (of User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Transport Control Protocol(TCP) or Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)), and transmits thepersonal broadcasting file to a service subscriber according to the settransmission scheme.

FIG. 5 illustrates a format of a frame in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, reference numerals 1 and2 denote a frame header and a frame body, respectively. The frame headeris located before the frame and contains information about the frame andthe frame body. The frame body is located subsequent to the frameheader, and contains content, video, and audio data provided from themobile communication terminal. Basic elements of the frame header willbe described with reference to Table 1.

TABLE 1 Main Sub Details Bits Remarks Stream Start Header Index 0x060516 Header Start Version Info Program Version Major: 4 bits 8 Minor: 4bits ID Server: 8 bits 16 Number Provider: 8 Content Type Stream TypeMPEG-2 TS: F 4 Still Image: 1 Audio Data: 2 Video Data: 4 File: 7 UserType: 0 Sub Type Media Type A: Raw, MP3, MP4, AAC, AMR V: Raw, H.26L,H.264, MPEG-4 Total Length Length Major: 4 bits 16 Byte Minor: 4 bitsOptional Sub Info 00: No Use 2, 4 Sub Info 01: 2 bytes 10: 4 bytesPriority 00: Normal 2 11: Highest Counter Frame Counter 4 Cont. & DecReserved 1 User Reserved for 8  1 byte User Reserved 2 User Reserved for16  2 bytes User Total 102 12 bytes

The frame header has the variable length. A size of the frame header isbasically 96 bits (or 12 bytes). When option fields are added, the frameheader size can be extended to 128 bits (or 16 bytes).

The 16-bit Stream Start field indicates the beginning of the frame andis fixed to 0x0605. The 8-bit Version Info field indicates programversion information. In the Version Info field, more significant 4 bitsindicate major version information and less significant 4 bits indicateminor version information. The 16-bit ID field indicates an ID of anentity by which personal broadcasting has been opened. In the 16-bit IDfield, 8 bits indicate a server ID and the remaining 8 bits indicate apersonal broadcasting provider. The Content Type field containsinformation about a type of content. The 4-bit Content Type fieldindicates information about an MPEG-2 TS, still image, audio and videodata, file and user type. The Sub Type field indicates detailedclassification information based on the type of content. Through the SubType field, information about raw data of audio and video, and MP3, MP4,AAC, Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR), H.26L, H.264, and MPEG-4 informationabout compressed data can be found. The 16-bit Total Length fieldindicates information about the total length of the frame. The totallength of the frame corresponds to a sum of the length of the frameheader and the length of the frame body. The Optional field is anadditional dynamic field when sub information is required. The Optionalfield indicates 00 when no sub information is used, indicates 01 whenlink information is present, and indicates 10 when message informationis present. The 2-bit Priority field is used to set the priority ofcontent of the frame body. When the priority of the frame body isnormal, the Priority field indicates 00. On the other hand, when thepriority of the frame body is highest, the Priority field indicates 11.The 4-bit Counter field is a frame counter field. A counter value of theframe is 1 less than that of the previous frame. The 8-bit Reserved-1field and the 16-bit Reserved-2 field are reserved fields for the user.

FIG. 6 illustrates a structure of a system for providing a personalbroadcasting service in a state in which a personal broadcasting stationand a mobile communication terminal are separated from each other inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The systemstructure for operating the personal broadcasting station in anindependent broadcasting service provider will be described withreference to FIG. 6. The personal broadcasting service system isprovided with a Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)/Digital MultimediaBroadcasting (DMB) terminal, a personal broadcasting service server, alegacy terminal, and a terminal with a local area communication module.The DMB/DVB terminal may be a mobile communication terminal, a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), or a notebook computer with a DVB/DMB module asillustrated in FIG. 6(A). The personal broadcasting service server maybe a PCast or Personal Casting Protocol (PCP) server, a data server, aspecific channel push server, a chat server, or a billing & OperationSupport System (OSS) server as illustrated in FIG. 6(B). The PCP serverperforms a gateway function for many services and serves as a server forenabling a basic service connection. The PCP server is responsible forprocessing all protocols for a connected service. The channel pushserver actively provides broadcasting data/content to the user orprovides the convenience for the user. The chat server is a server forenabling chatting or message transfer. The billing & OSS server is aserver for service fee payment and authentication. The data server andthe channel push server will be described in more detail with referenceto FIGS. 11A and 11B.

As illustrated in FIG. 6(C), the legacy terminal is a mobilecommunication terminal through which a text message and a variety ofinformation can be transmitted and Internet access is enabled. Theterminal with the local area communication module can be the mobilecommunication terminal, the PDA, or the notebook computer as illustratedin FIG. 6(D). The local area communication module may use opticaltransmission equipment, a relay, a mobile network application, awireless LAN, a homeRF, IrDA, Bluetooth, and so on.

The DVB/DMB terminal and the terminal with the local area communicationmodule can create and broadcast DVB/DMB content and multimedia,respectively. The legacy terminal can select and receive a specificchannel of personal broadcasting using PCP stack. As illustrated in FIG.6, any terminal joining the LAN can bidirectionally transmit/receive thepersonal broadcasting using a Wireless LAN (WLAN) regardless of theDVB/DMB module. Any terminal joining an RF network (N/W) canunidirectionally receive personal broadcasting through PCast frameoptimization.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary structure of a system for providing apersonal broadcasting service in a state in which a personalbroadcasting server and a mobile communication terminal are combinedwith each other in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The system structure for operating a personal broadcastingstation in a DVB/DMB terminal will be described with reference to FIG.7. The personal broadcasting system is provided with the DVB/DMBterminal, a personal broadcasting service server, a legacy terminal, anda terminal with a local area communication module. The DVB/DMB terminalserving as the transmitting-side terminal is directly connected to thepersonal broadcasting service server using a Universal Serial Bus (USB),cable and LAN as illustrated in FIG. 7(A). The receiving-side terminalis the legacy terminal or the terminal with the local area communicationmodule as illustrated in FIG. 7(B). The transmitting-side terminal andthe receiving-side terminal are connected to each other using the legacynetwork or LAN.

FIG. 8 illustrates a system flow diagram for a personal broadcastingservice in a state in which a personal broadcasting server and a mobilecommunication terminal are separated from each other in accordance witha first exemplary implementation of an embodiment of the presentinvention. The flow of the system in which a DVB/DMB terminal (or aDVB/DMB PCastor) transmits personal broadcasting data through a legacynetwork and a normal terminal receives the personal broadcasting datawill be described with reference to FIG. 8. When the user selects achannel to open the personal broadcasting station and the DVB/DMBterminal 20 sends a signal of the selected channel (Step 801), a DVB/DMBcontent or service provider 10 receives the channel signal and sendsassociated content to the DVB/DMB terminal 20 (Step 803). In anexemplary implementation, the content includes DMB content, multimediacontent, and self produced media content with an edited still or motionimage. The DVB/DMB service provider 10 provides broadcasting contentlike the broadcasting station.

Then, the DVB/DMB terminal 20 stores content received from the DVB/DMBservice provider 10 and sends a personal broadcasting open signal and apersonal broadcasting connection request signal to a mobilecommunication network (or legacy network) 30 (Step 805). In response tothe personal broadcasting open signal and the personal broadcastingconnection request signal, the mobile communication network (or legacynetwork) 30 sends the personal broadcasting connection request signal tothe normal terminal 40 (Step 807). In an exemplary implementation, whena plurality of personal broadcasting open and connection request signalsare sent, the normal terminal 40 can receive a plurality of channellists. When the normal terminal 40 sends a personal broadcastingconnection approval signal or a selection signal of a channel to bewatched through the mobile communication network (or legacy network) 30to the DVB/DMB terminal 20 (Step 809), the DVB/DMB terminal 20rearranges the stored content to an optimized frame and sends theoptimized frame to the normal terminal 40 through the mobilecommunication network (or legacy network) (Step 811).

Then, the DVB/DMB terminal 20 can send the content received from theDVB/DMB service provider 10 to the normal terminal 40 in real time. Whena personal broadcasting system is provided in which a personalbroadcasting station and a mobile communication terminal are combined asillustrated in FIG. 7, the DVB/DMB service provider 10 and the DVB/DMBterminal 20 are directly combined in a wired/wireless fashion, such thatpersonal broadcasting content can be sent to the normal terminal 40through the mobile communication network (or legacy network) 30. Thepersonal broadcasting system in which the personal broadcasting stationand the mobile communication terminal are combined operates, forexample, according to the flow as illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 illustrates a system flow diagram for a personal broadcastingservice in a state in which a personal broadcasting server and a mobilecommunication terminal are separated from each other in accordance witha second exemplary implementation of an embodiment of the presentinvention. An operation in which a DVB/DMB terminal (or a DVB/DMBPCastor) transmits personal broadcasting data through a LAN or WLAN anda terminal with a local area communication module receives the personalbroadcasting data will be described with reference to FIG. 9. When theuser selects a channel to open the personal broadcasting station and theDVB/DMB terminal 20 sends a signal of the selected channel (Step 901), aDVB/DMB content or service provider 10 receives the channel signal andsends associated content to the DVB/DMB terminal 20 (Step 903). In anexemplary implementation, the content includes DMB content, multimediacontent, and self produced media content with an edited still and motionimage. The DVB/DMB service provider 10 provides broadcasting contentlike the broadcasting station. In an exemplary implementation, theDVB/DMB terminal 20 is provided with the local area communicationmodule.

The DVB/DMB terminal 20 stores content received from the DVB/DMB serviceprovider 10, and sends a personal broadcasting open signal and apersonal broadcasting connection request signal to the WLAN 50 (Step905). The WLAN 50 sends the personal broadcasting open signal and thepersonal broadcasting connection request signal to a WLAN terminal 60(Step 907). Here, when the personal broadcasting open and connectionrequest signals are sent, the WLAN terminal 60 can receive a pluralityof channel lists. When the WLAN terminal 60 sends a personalbroadcasting connection approval signal or a selection signal of achannel to be watched through the WLAN 50 to the DVB/DMB terminal 20(Step 909), the DVB/DMB terminal 20 rearranges the stored content to anoptimized frame and sends the optimized frame to the WLAN terminal 60through the WLAN 50 (Step 911).

Then, the DVB/DMB terminal 20 can send the content received from theDVB/DMB service provider 10 to the WLAN terminal 60 in real time. When apersonal broadcasting system is provided in which a personalbroadcasting station and a mobile communication terminal are combined asillustrated in FIG. 7, the DVB/DMB service provider 10 and the DVB/DMBterminal 20 are directly combined in a wired/wireless fashion, such thatpersonal broadcasting content can be sent to the WLAN terminal 60through the WLAN 50. The personal broadcasting system in which thepersonal broadcasting station and the mobile communication terminal arecombined operates according to, for example, the flow as illustrated inFIG. 9.

FIG. 10 illustrates a system flow diagram for a personal broadcastingservice using a LAN and a mobile communication network in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. An example of a flow inwhich personal broadcasting service is provided using a LAN or WLAN anda mobile communication network (or legacy network) will be describedwith reference to FIG. 10. A DVB/DMB terminal (or a DVB/DMB PCastor) 70with a local area communication module sends a personal broadcastingconnection request signal to the WLAN 50 and the mobile communicationnetwork (or legacy network) 30 (Step 1001). The WLAN 50 sends thepersonal broadcasting connection request signal to a WLAN terminal 60(Step 1003). Here, when multiple personal broadcasting connectionrequest signals are sent, the WLAN terminal 60 can receive a pluralityof channel lists. The mobile communication network (or legacy network)30 sends the personal broadcasting connection request signal to a normalterminal 40 (Step 1003). Here, when multiple personal broadcastingconnection request signals are sent, the normal terminal 40 can receivea plurality of channel lists.

When the WLAN terminal 60 sends a personal broadcasting connectionapproval signal or a selection signal of a channel to be watched to theDVB/DMB terminal 70 with the local area communication module through theWLAN 50 (Step 1005), the DVB/DMB terminal 70 with the local areacommunication module rearranges the stored content to an optimized frameand sends the optimized frame to the WLAN terminal 60 through the WLAN50 (Step 1007).

When the normal terminal 40 sends a personal broadcasting connectionapproval signal or a selection signal of a channel to be watched to theDVB/DMB terminal 70 with the local area communication module through themobile communication network (or legacy network) 30 (Step 1009), theDVB/DMB terminal 70 with the local area communication module rearrangesthe stored content to an optimized frame and sends the optimized frameto the normal terminal 40 through the mobile communication network (orlegacy network) 30 (Step 1011).

FIGS. 11A and 11B are exemplary structures of a system with a pushserver used in FIG. 6. An example of an operation in which the pushserver is passively started and a search service is provided will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 11A. First, when a transmittingterminal starts personal broadcasting, it is connected to the pushserver and then transfers broadcasting information to the push server.The push server stores the received broadcasting information. Then, areceiving terminal sends a request for information of the transmittingterminal suitable for an essential condition to the push server. Thepush server sends suitable broadcasting information among the storedbroadcasting information to the receiving terminal. Then, the receivingterminal sends, to the transmitting terminal, a broadcasting executionrequest for the most suitable broadcasting information among the sentbroadcasting information. Then, the transmitting terminal approves therequest and then provides the personal broadcasting. According to anexemplary implementation, the push server maintains a connection stateduring broadcasting. When the broadcasting is stopped, the informationof the transmitting terminal stored in the push server is updated.

An example of an operation in which the push server is actively startedand the transmitting terminal actively provides data/content will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 11B. First, a receiving terminal sendsa specific personal broadcasting service provision request to a pushserver. When the push server stores the request and a transmittingterminal opens specific personal broadcasting, the push server sendsinformation of the transmitting terminal to the receiving terminal.Then, when the receiving terminal sends a broadcasting execution requestto the transmitting terminal for providing the specific personalbroadcasting, the transmitting terminal approves the request andprovides the personal broadcasting.

As is apparent from the above description, exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention provide a service provision system and method forunidirectionally or bidirectionally transmitting and receivinginformation between mobile communication terminals linked with anInternet network, a mobile communication network, a wireless Internetnetwork, a local area network (LAN), and so on. According to exemplaryimplementations of the present invention personal broadcasting contentcan be modified and edited, such that various desires of service userscan be satisfied and high-quality content can be provided.

Although certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention havebeen disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions, and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope of the present invention asdefined by the following claims, along with their full scope ofequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing a personal broadcastingservice using a mobile multimedia broadcasting terminal equipped with amultimedia broadcasting module, the system comprising: a personalbroadcasting service server for providing a plurality of multimediabroadcasting contents; the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminal forsending a channel selection signal to the personal broadcasting serviceserver after a broadcasting channel is selected by a user, receivingfrom the personal broadcasting service server the plurality ofmultimedia broadcasting contents over the selected channel, and openingpersonal broadcasting; and a mobile terminal for sending a multimediabroadcasting content request to the mobile multimedia broadcastingterminal opening the personal broadcasting, and receiving at least onemultimedia content from the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminalopening the personal broadcasting, wherein the mobile terminal comprisesat least one of an RF module and a local area communication module;wherein the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminal sends at least oneof a personal broadcasting open signal and a personal broadcastingconnection request signal to the mobile terminal using at least one of amobile communication network and a legacy network; wherein when themobile multimedia broadcasting terminal detects packet data of amultimedia broadcasting content selected by the user for personalbroadcasting among packet data of the received plurality of multimediabroadcasting contents, the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminalserially rearranges the detected packet data to form digitalbroadcasting data such that the formed digital broadcasting data can betransmitted to the mobile terminal in real time; and wherein when amultimedia broadcasting content selected by the user for personalbroadcasting is stored in the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminal,the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminal rearranges the storedmultimedia broadcasting content to form an optimized frame such that theoptimized frame can be transmitted to the mobile terminal using at leastone of a mobile communication network and a legacy network.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminalcomprises a local area communication module, and sends at least one of apersonal broadcasting open signal and a personal broadcasting connectionrequest signal to the mobile terminal using a local area network.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a data server for increasing atleast one of stability and persistence of the personal broadcasting. 4.The system of claim 1, further comprising a push server for activelyproviding the mobile terminal with the multimedia broadcasting contentsor passively providing the mobile terminal with a search capability. 5.A system for providing a personal broadcasting service using a mobilemultimedia broadcasting terminal equipped with a multimedia broadcastingmodule, the system comprising: a broadcasting service provider forproviding a plurality of multimedia broadcasting contents; a personalbroadcasting service server for operating personal broadcasting for themobile multimedia broadcasting terminal; the mobile multimediabroadcasting terminal, connected to the broadcasting service providerand the personal broadcasting service server, for performing at leastone of sending a channel selection signal to the broadcast serviceprovider, receiving from the broadcast service provider the plurality ofmultimedia broadcasting contents over a selected channel, and openingpersonal broadcasting; and a mobile terminal for sending a multimediabroadcasting content request to the mobile multimedia broadcastingterminal opening the personal broadcasting, and receiving at least onemultimedia content from the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminalopening the personal broadcasting, wherein the mobile terminal comprisesat least one of an RF module and a local area communication modulewherein the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminal sends at least oneof a personal broadcasting open signal and a personal broadcastingconnection request signal to the mobile terminal using at least one of amobile communication network and a legacy network wherein when themobile multimedia broadcasting terminal detects packet data of amultimedia broadcasting content selected by a user of the mobilemultimedia broadcasting terminal for personal broadcasting among packetdata of the received plurality of multimedia broadcasting contents, themobile multimedia broadcasting terminal serially rearranges the detectedpacket data to form digital broadcasting data such that the formedbroadcasting digital data can be transmitted to the mobile terminal inreal time; and wherein when a multimedia broadcasting content selectedby the user for personal broadcasting is stored in the mobile multimediabroadcasting terminal, the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminalrearranges the stored multimedia broadcasting content to form anoptimized frame such that the optimized frame can be transmitted to themobile terminal using at least one of a mobile communication network anda legacy network.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the personalbroadcasting service server comprises a personal casting protocol serverfor enabling a personal broadcasting service connection.
 7. The systemof claim 5, wherein the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminalcomprises a local area communication module, and sends at least one of apersonal broadcasting open signal and a personal broadcasting connectionrequest signal to the mobile terminal using a local area network.
 8. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the mobile multimedia broadcasting terminalis connected to at least one of the broadcasting service provider andthe personal broadcasting service server via a local area network. 9.The system of claim 5, wherein the personal broadcasting service servercomprises a data server for increasing at least one of stability andpersistence of the personal broadcasting.
 10. The system of claim 5,wherein the personal broadcasting service server comprises a push serverfor actively providing the terminal with the multimedia broadcastingcontents or passively providing the terminal with a search capability.